Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Of course, elixirs are not without their drawbacks; the rapid increase in cultivation level achieved through the power of elixirs...

When breaking through bottlenecks, you will encounter greater resistance.

However, Lin Zhao felt that with his foundation, he should be able to reach at least the sixth level of Qi Refining without any problems.

The real test will probably only come when we reach the later stages of Qi Refining.

However, nothing in this world is absolute. Lin Zhao narrowed his eyes slightly, recalling the state of oneness with nature that he had entered automatically that night.

His greatest gain was not the increase in cultivation level, but the leap in his divine sense to the peak of the sixth level of Qi Refining, and even touching the threshold of the seventh level!

He could clearly sense that his divine sense was still slowly but steadily advancing towards the later-stage bottleneck.

Given time, it will surely come to fruition.

If one's divine sense can first break through to the later stage, then one can rely on the powerful control over spiritual energy in the state of oneness with heaven and man.

At that time, the seemingly insurmountable bottleneck of the late stage of Qi Refining may not be as insurmountable as imagined.

jingle,

The doorbell rang crisply, interrupting his thoughts.

A boy, dressed in a faded blue cloth shirt and with a still somewhat childish face, timidly stepped into the shop.

He was about thirteen or fourteen years old, thin, with timid eyes, and hesitated in front of the talisman stand.

Lin Zhao withdrew the spiritual light from his fingertips, stood up, and said, "Welcome, fellow Daoist. What would you like?"

The boy seemed startled and quickly walked to the counter, his voice tinged with nervousness: "Fellow Daoist, I would like to buy some talismans for self-defense."

He is at the third level of Qi Refining, and is still young, yet he has spirit stones to buy talismans. He is not a member of a family, but should be a descendant of a rogue cultivator, and he has only recently come to the market.

Lin Zhao understood and deftly took out four talismans from the talisman shelf near the door and placed them on the counter.

One card has a faint golden glow, another has thick, heavy patterns, and the other two are light and ethereal.

"A mid-grade first-tier Golden Light Talisman can be automatically activated when placed on the body, and can block a full-force attack from a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator."

One [Diamond Talisman] can withstand three to five spell attacks from a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

One Tier 1 Low-Grade [Lightness Talisman], one Tier 1 Low-Grade [Swiftness Talisman], both for running away together. Three spirit stones for the price.

He spoke slowly, but with an undeniable familiarity.

The young man's eyes lit up as he looked at the talismans, their spiritual light subtly contained. He quickly took out spirit stones: "Thank you, fellow Daoist! I'll do as you say!"

After the profusely grateful young man left, and the shop had just returned to tranquility, the calming bell rang again.

The one who entered this time was a thin, middle-aged monk with sharp eyes.

He was dressed in ordinary black shorts. As soon as he entered the room, his sharp eyes swept over the rows of talisman shelves and finally landed on Lin Zhao.

"Shopkeeper, what's the price of the [Insect Repellent and Miasma-Dispelling Talisman]?" He walked straight to the counter and tapped the surface with his knuckles.

"One piece costs three low-grade spirit stones." Lin Zhao's expression remained unchanged.

"Too expensive." The middle-aged cultivator frowned. "Chen's Talisman Shop at the east end of the market sells the same talisman for only two spirit stones."

Lin Zhao did not argue, but simply took out a talisman from under the counter and pushed it over.

This talisman is light green, with more complex runes and a longer, more continuous flow of spiritual light.

"Chen's talisman covers thirty meters and is effective for eight hours."

The Lin family's medicine can cover fifty meters, last for twelve hours, and is remarkably effective against the "Black Spotted Insects" unique to the Yunxia Mountains.

His tone was calm, yet every word was clear: "Fellow Daoist, you are someone who often travels outside. You should know that in the wilderness, an extra zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) or an extra hour can sometimes mean an extra way to survive."

The middle-aged cultivator picked up the talisman, released a little spiritual energy from his fingertips, and carefully sensed it for a moment. The shrewdness on his face turned into complete admiration.

Without saying another word, he simply laid out nine spirit stones: "Give me three."

Just as the spirit stones were put away, a burly figure loomed over the counter.

Gao Yuan, dressed in a tight-fitting black demon-hunting outfit, slowly entered. He didn't browse the talisman shelves; his gaze fell directly on Lin Zhao, and a hearty smile appeared on his resolute face.

"Lin Zhao, it's been half a year since I last saw you. Your cultivation has improved even more, and your shop's business is booming." His voice was loud and clear.

Upon seeing his old friend, Lin Zhao smiled warmly: "Brother Gao, how have you been? How is the demon-hunting team?"

He scrutinized Gao Yuan closely. He noticed that his elder brother's aura was more refined and profound than it had been six months ago, and a hint of murderous intent had crept into his eyes.

He still carried a faint smell of blood, and bore a striking resemblance to his uncle, who was often away on campaigns.

Since Gao Yuan formed the demon-hunting team, he has taken Wu Laodao and Chu Xin out to hunt demons several times, and the group of people who used to get together rarely see each other anymore.

"The team has finally gained a foothold." Gao Yuan's tone was steady, but there was a barely perceptible fatigue. "Now we have five official team members."

However, the gains have been limited. We've just passed the most difficult adjustment period and need to work even harder.

He came to replenish the talismans he had consumed: "Currently, the team's strength is still relatively weak, and they mostly operate on the outskirts of Wind Spirit Canyon."

But there are many demon-hunting teams there, so to get such a harvest, you have to go deeper.

When asked about the team members' recent situation, Gao Yuan's expression softened slightly: "Chu Xin has broken through to the sixth level of Qi Refining, and Wu Laodao has also touched the threshold of the seventh level."

If one can cultivate diligently for several years, it is possible to break through.

I'm trying to persuade Cheng Jin to join the team. The stronger the team, the more spirit stones we can earn and the further we can go.

After purchasing the necessary talismans, Gao Yuan hurriedly took his leave, his figure quickly disappearing into the crowd of people in the market.

Lin Zhao gazed in the direction he had gone, and after a long while, murmured to herself, "Everyone is striving forward on their own path, and I cannot slack off either."

A year later, the cultivation room was filled with spiritual energy, which swirled like a thin mist.

Lin Zhao slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, and the spiritual light flowing around his body gradually subsided.

He opened his eyes, a flash of brilliance in them, indicating that he had reached the fourth level of Qi Refining.

Lin Zhao didn't waste this year. Besides his own cultivation improving, he became extremely proficient at drawing mid-grade first-tier talismans.

Now, 70% of the mid-grade talismans in the shop are made by him.

Uncle Zhao only comes once every three months now to deliver spirit stones and talismans.

After years of relentless practice and countless practice questions, Zhao Ziming finally became a low-grade first-tier talisman master five months ago.

Then he kicked him to the front desk to sell talismans.

He exchanged most of the spirit stones he earned for Gathering Yuan Pills, which allowed him to reach the fourth level of perfection in cultivation within a year.

Feeling the abundant spiritual energy within his body, Lin Zhao felt that he was in a better state than ever before.

"It's today."

Without further hesitation, he closed his eyes again and began to circulate his energy. The surrounding spiritual energy gathered once more, even more turbulent than before.

He feels great today, so why not go all out and break through to the fifth level of Qi Refining?

Inside the training room, Lin Zhao took a deep breath and adjusted himself to his peak condition.

He took out a Gathering Yuan Pill and swallowed it. The pill melted instantly in his mouth, and its pure medicinal power spread throughout his body.

He activated the "Five Elements Rhythm Spirit Technique," and spiritual energy surged and flowed through his meridians.

The bottleneck at the fifth level of Qi Refining is like an invisible barrier, hindering the flow of spiritual energy.